


Bren

by conceptstage



Series: Single Chapter Critical Role [76]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 03:31:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17541848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptstage/pseuds/conceptstage
Summary: A nightmare and a name.





	Bren

_“Bren… Breeeennnnn… Bren!”_

_Caleb looked around in the darkness, trying to find a source of the voice. “Hello? Answer me! Where are you?!”_

_There was a disembodied giggle. “Bren, Bren, Bren, seine Familie ging schlafen, dann setzte er das Haus in Flammen, dann setzte er das Haus in Flammen, Sie setzen das Haus in Flammen, ja hast du getan, ja hast du getan.” There was a laughter that chilled him to his bones._

_“Stop it!” he exclaimed. “I was so sure… You tricked me, I was so sure!” He felt like the darkness was closing in on him, forcing itself down his throat, choking him._

_“Bren, don’t blame someone else. You did this. You burned them. Yes, you did, yes, you did. Oh Bren… Bren!”_

_“Don’t call me that!”_

_“It’s who you are. It’s who you’ll always be, Bren!”_

“Caleb!”

Caleb’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath, reaching out to grab Beau’s shoulders for support. “Nenn mich nicht so! Nenn mich nicht so…”

Beau held his arms and squeezed his elbow reassuringly. “Hey, I’m right here. It’s not real, alright? You’re here, you’re fine. Caleb?” She helped him move to sit up but he didn’t speak again. “Caleb?”

“I’m fine,” he said, looking around the quiet campsite. “I… Thank you, I’m fine.”

“You sure?” She reached out and pushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes. “A nightmare?”

He didn’t answer right away but she gave him a moment to gather his thoughts. “Yeah,” he whispered. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“You want to go back to sleep or you wanna join me on watch?”

“Ja, I believe I will join you. I can’t… I can’t go to sleep right now.”

She nodded and sat down beside him, gently elbowing him in the side. “Is this a suffer in silence thing, or you wanna talk about it?”

“I’m not suffering, but no, I don’t want to talk about it. It’s just the usual demons rearing their heads.”

She shrugged. “Well, alright. If you’re sure, Caleb.”

He took a deep breath and just basked in that name. He had barely thought about it when he used that name to introduce himself to Nott so many months ago. But now it was his. It was his name. He wasn’t Bren anymore. Maybe someday he wouldn’t be beholden to Bren’s demons anymore either.

**Author's Note:**

> The voice says in Zemnian "His family went to sleep, then he set the house on fire, then he set the house on fire, you set the house on fire, yes you did, yes you did"


End file.
